Israel outlines US-backed plan to block Hamas return
Shafaq News – Middle East
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a 20-point plan developed with US President Donald Trump’s team to “isolate” Hamas and block its return to power in Gaza.
Addressing reporters, he stated that Israel will retain full security control over the Strip and reject Hamas’ demand for Israeli withdrawal to retrieve captives' bodies, adding that their forces will remain in Gaza “as long as necessary” to enforce disarmament.
Netanyahu emphasized that Tel Aviv coordinates with Washington but acts independently. “We decide where the threat lies and confront it.”
Drafted with Trump’s advisers and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the plan outlines disarmament, hostage exchanges, a monitored ceasefire, and foreign-managed reconstruction.
The announcement followed Netanyahu’s unopposed confirmation as Likud leader and candidate for the 2026 elections. The party is one of Israel’s main right-wing parties and has dominated national politics for much of the past two decades after its inception in 1973.
